Page 3 of Harmony Island Gazette
“I don’t know what to tell you, Rich. I really don’t know of anyone who could help you out,” the bartender said as he set the tumbler of whiskey down in front of me. He had his attention on an older man who was standing a few feet away from me. He didn’t look like he was drinking. His expression was desperate as he glanced around.
“Jax, I’m desperate,” Rich said.
The bartender hadn’t stepped away from me. Instead, he just folded his arms as he leaned against the counter. “I get that, I just don’t know of anybodyguard.” He flinched like saying that word felt weird. Then his gaze drifted over to me. He frowned. “Are you new around here?”
I glanced from Jax to Rich, who had approached me. I stiffened. I didn’t like it when people approached me, especially when I didn’t know who they were.
“I’m passing through,” I said, hoping my short answer wouldn’t invite more questions.
Jax nodded, his gaze dropping to the tattoo on my arm. “You military?”
“Honorably discharged,” I muttered under my breath, hating every syllable.
“Huh.” Jax flicked his gaze from me to Rich. “Maybe…” He paused as he extended his hand in my direction as if inviting me to provide my name.
“Boone,” I said before I could stop myself.Shit.Realizing I’d just put myself squarely into this conversation with these strangers, I turned to Rich. “What are you looking for?”
Rich met my gaze, and I could see the desperation in his gaze as he studied me. “I need someone to protect my daughter from her abusive husband.”
The bar around me faded away. Anger rose up inside of me as I leaned toward him and said, “Tell me more.”
1
JUNIPER
Two pink lines.
I stared down at the pregnancy test that was resting on the edge of the bathroom sink in front of me. I blinked once. Twice. Three times.
No matter how many times my eyes had to refocus, those two pink lines remained.
I was pregnant.
My stomach twisted and turned. I clutched my middle and doubled over as my knees began to give out. I knew I should catch myself, but my brain wasn’t connecting with the rest of my body, and the ground was coming toward me at a rapid pace.
“Whoa, whoa,” Boone’s smooth, deep voice rang in my ears as I felt his arms surround me. He went with me as he lowered me to the floor.
Once I was sitting on the ground, he let go but remained crouched down next to me.
I closed my eyes and tipped my head back, resting it on the wall. My head was spinning with questions and I couldn’t seem to focus on anything.
“What am I going to do?” I finally whispered. I shook my head slightly from side to side.
“Are you disappointed?” Boone asked after a few seconds of silence.
A flutter of excitement danced in my stomach as I digested his question. Truth was, I’d always wanted to be a mother. I always thought that Kevin and I would have tons of babies and grow old together with our family around us. That was before Kevin informed me that having children was not in his life plan.
Hewas never going to be a father. Therefore,Iwas never going to be a mother.
Back then, I’d convinced myself that, eventually, he’d change his mind. We were still young. Sure, Kevin was determined to grow his advertising business, but aging had a way of slowing people down and causing them to take stock of their life. I just needed to wait until having a family became a priority for him like it was for me.
What a fool I’d been.
I peeked over at Boone. He was sitting next to me now. He’d hooked one arm around the knee that he’d brought up to his chest, and he was staring at the ground in front of him.
It was nice having him here with me. I wasn’t sure what I would have done if I’d learned this information on my own. Even though I knew nothing about this man, it was nice that he was sitting here with me. Heaven knows, he didn’t have to.
Realizing that I couldn’t spend the day sitting on the disgusting bathroom floor, I shifted my weight so I could stand. “We should probably get back,” I said as I placed my hand down on the ground next to me to support my body.
